The present invention relates to an animal cage. The present invention further relates to an animal cage having a wire bar lid.
Animal cages for maintaining laboratory animals used for various types of experimentation or pet care are well known in the art. Wire bar lids for cages are designed to allow for ventilation and also to provide a means for feeding the animals without removing the cage lids.
In order to prevent cross contamination between animals in cages which are in close proximity to one another a filter bonnet is usually placed on top of the cage wire bar lid. Thus, at the meeting point between the cage or plastic container, the filter bonnet and the wire bar lid there is an area of the cages where dirt and other contaminants can collect. Contamination in this area is particularly troublesome when conducting scientific experiments which require sterile environments. This is in addition to the added nuisance of cleaning a large number of cages between experiments.
Another disadvantage associated with standard wire bar lids for animal cages is that they are difficult to manufacture which adds costs to their production. This added cost can be significant, particularly in laboratory settings where a large number of wire lid covers are necessary.
Thus, there exists a need in the field of animal cages, particularly cages for use with laboratory animals, for a wire bar lid that is not only easy and inexpensive to make, but also has a construction that reduces the total area where contaminants can collect at the meeting point of the cage, filter bonnet and wire bar lid.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks associated with the prior art and provides an animal cage having a wire bar lid which is easy and inexpensive to make and also reduces the area where contaminants can collect.
The present invention is directed to an animal cage comprising a cage for containing animals and a wire bar lid. The wire bar lid is configured to fit on top of the cage, where the wire bar lid has a perimeter portion having a first support portion and a second inner portion. The first support portion has a first top side and a first bottom side. The second inner portion has a second top side and a second bottom side. A plurality of longitudinal wire bars are connected directly to the second bottom side of the second inner portion of the perimeter portion in a single welding procedure.